The 19 best outdoor activities to do in Val Thorens

Do you like the mountain? Discover the outdoor activities to do in Val Thorens in summer and winter!

Located in the Tarentaise Valley, Val Thorens is a winter sports resort attached to the municipality of Belleville, Savoie. Known as the highest station in Europe, with a dominant village at 2,300 m above sea level, Val Thorens is part of the superb and gigantic ski area of Three-Vallées with, inter alia, Méribel and Courchevel .

If this savoyard station is an ideal playground during the winter period, the outdoor activities to be done in Val Thorens in the summer are not missing. Between the traditional downhill ski and the amazing rail toboggan, the helicopter overflight and the mountain climb, you will find the right outdoor activity.

Whether you're athletic or simply looking for a nature stay, whether you're coming with or without children, you'll enjoy the outdoor activities to do in Val Thorens.

En route for a big bowl of air!

Summer

Hiking

The choice of hiking trails is not missing in the Trois-Vallées area. More than three hundred kilometers of roads are marked! So you can discover the beauties of the mountain in the summer: marmots, chamois, green vallons, meadows, etc.

Mechanical lifts are also available during the summer period and allow you to reach more easily a starting point of hiking located at the other end of the area.

Here are some examples of circuits:

• Lake Lou (Facile) : 2 hours, 292 m of denial;
• The shepherd path (Facile): from Val Thorens to Menuires1 hour, 500 m of denial;
• The refuge of Péclet-Polset (Moyen): 5:15 a.m., 714 m of denial;
• The pass of the Etroite Valley (Moyen in Difficile): above Lake Lou, 7 hours, 1000 m of denial;
• The Pointe de la Masse Tower (Difficile): 33 km, 1,077 meters.

The climb in alpage

Among the outdoor activities to be done in Val Thorens, the transhumance is undoubtedly a must. It is indeed an ancestral ritual celebrating the arrival of the summer and the departure of the herds that join the pasture. The latter is located between Val Thorens and the Menuires, six kilometers from the villages of Belleville, where a special day is often organised on this occasion around June 21.

Tyrolean

Are you passionate about strong feelings? Come and test the BEE! What if you enter the skin of an eagle for a flight of 1,300 m from the summit of the Bouchet chairlift, located on the Orelle area, at 3,230 m above sea level? You will stay close to two minutes in the air, with a breathtaking view of the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys.

It is in total safety that you will experience this unique experience in the world, at a speed of 65 to 105 km/h! The adventure is even more crazy in the winter, skied in your skis!

Paragliding

Paragliding is part of the outdoor activities to be done in Val Thorens throughout the year. Everyone will judge the season that offers the most beautiful landscapes. Attached by a harness to the instructor who will operate the material, you will only have to stir up to make your paragliding baptism and live incredible emotions.

You will choose a flight adapted to your desires and level, from simple contemplative flight to flight with figures! Departures are usually at 3,000 m altitude. For snowy mountain lovers, prefer the winter paragliding. Prices vary between 80 and 170€ according to the selected options.

ATV and road bike

The mountain is the perfect setting for mountain biking down. Val Thorens, Les Menuires and Saint Martin de Belleville can boast the "VTT/FFC space" label since 1998. The area of the 3 valleys gives you access to 120 km of mountain biking trails, for a total of twenty-one itineraries during which you can climb on ridges, run streams or climb the mountainside.

Here are three examples of routes for three distinct levels:

• The Water Plan Tour (Facile): Starting point at the Bruyères, ideal for families;
• The Ascension of the Mont de la Chambre (Moyen): from Val Thorens;
• The 3 Vallées (Difficile) circuit: 117 km through the 3 Vallées domain;

Know that it is also possible to do mountain bikes in winter. You will then use a fat bike.

For road bike enthusiasts, the options are less numerous, but they exist. Borrow the departmental 117, between Val Thorens and Moûtiers, about 40 km. Some 13% passages are waiting for you, with a total of 1,867 m.

Hiking in quad or buggy

The quad, the buggy or possibly the bike, are ways to approach the mountain and to appreciate its landscapes in another way. Walks can be organised for two hours or half-day. Licence B is mandatory for the driver.

rafting and water sports

What is more pleasant than to refresh yourself in the vivid water of a torrent, when the sun hits in the summer? Leave Val Thorens and go to the Haute-Isère, at the gates of the Parc de la Vanoise. Try the rapids of Aime and discover the Centron Gorges. There are for all levels: 7 km of descent for the uninitiated up to 23 km for the most experienced.

If the Haute-Isère is an ideal spot for rafting, it is also all suitable for all water sports. For a rafting trip, prices vary between 49 and 66€ .

The adventure route (accrobranche)

Leave the water to take height and put on your adventurer equipment. Between bridges and calipers, between bridges of monkeys and ladders, your journey will be swollen for the greatest happiness of athletes in search of sensations. If you stay on your hunger, the zipline should satisfy you!

Tennis

Would you like to take a break in mountain sports? Take the time to book one of the fourteen tennis courts in the resort!

Fishing

What would the mountain be like without its lakes? With an incalculable number of torrents and more than ten lakes of altitude, the Belleville Valley is a perfect spot for sports fishing enthusiasts. Little risk that fish are missing, river trouts invade the Bruyères water plan every week.

However, you will need a fishing card, which can be used only during the day. The youngest will be able to discover fly fishing on 1/2 day and up to six days.

Luge on rails

If you like skiing sports, know that it is not impossible to do sledge in summer! After the weed, discover the sled on rails! Go to the resort of Les Menuires, not far from Val Thorens, and board your sledge and take the 1000 m of turns and twists!

Archery

The outdoor activities to do in Val Thorens are not just sensational activities. If you like concentration and precision sports, archery is made for you! The firing step is accessible to children over six years of age.

Riding

Let the horsemen be reassured, our sabot friends have not deserted our French mountains. Poney for the youngest, horses for the adults or the most seasoned. It is also possible to make the children discover the qualities of a donkey hiker of our friends.

Walks can be organized on a little half an hour or a day. Nice night walks are also available.

Overflight in ULM

Take a peaceful look at the Belleville Valley on the occasion of a stroll or a ULM baptism. This outdoor activity is also practicable in winter.

Winter

Skiing and snowboarding: The ski descent, The ski trail

Whether it’s skiing, skiing, snow-boarding, skiing or evening skiing, all the formulas and supports are possible in the world’s largest ski area. With more than 600 km of tracks, you shouldn't be bored!

In addition, it is possible to take ski lessons for a price that varies between 33 and 46€ a day.

The snake-gliss

Luge is nice. The snake-gliss is even more! It is a kind of individual sledge chenille, hung on each other. Rest assured, the head of the snake is driven by a professional who controls the direction and speed of the equipment. This security concern does not remove anything from sensations!

You will leave the Funitel de Péchet for 45 minutes of crazy descent between friends or family. However, the most sensitive should refrain from climbing. To reward your courage or your greediness, a hot wine will be offered to you on arrival!

A snowshoe ride

Are you tired of sliding sports? Hot your rackets! Enter into the skin of a Neolithic man and imagine going hunting, as did our ancestors who had no other means to move than this ingenious technique. The snowshoe ride is also and especially a pleasant way to appreciate the beauty of winter landscapes, at its pace and in peace.

It is possible to book your discovery hike for a day or 1/2 half a day from 50€ .

A dog ride

Animals, forests, slips, do you like it? Among the outdoor activities to be done in Val Thorens in winter, the sled dog ride is particularly typical. If you do not live in the high mountains, you should not have the opportunity to relive such an experience so soon! Do you like nature, gliding, adventure, contact with animals?

The sled dog rides in Savoie are therefore made for you. The tower lasts about 30 min and is accessible to children in two years. You can pair this singular exit with a yurt night. Depaysement assured!

The overflight of the helicopters

The mountain in winter is of unparalleled beauty. You will take all the action by flying over the most famous peaks of the Alps by helicopter. You will take off from Val Thorens and then admire the 3 valleys or Mont Blanc seen from the sky.

Depending on the options selected, the price of a flight varies between 100 and 500€ .

So, which one of these outdoor activities to do in Val Thorens is trying the most?